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Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra Soldier Sentenced to 27 Months in Prison
Eric Esposito, a 43-year-old Philadelphia man, has been sentenced to serve 27 months in prison for conducting an illegal gambling business on behalf of the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra Family.
The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Eduardo C. Robreno in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. In addition to his prison term, Esposito was also sentenced to serve three years of supervised release and ordered to pay a fine of $4,000.
According to evidence presented at trial, Esposito was a fully initiated mob soldier who worked in concert with other mob members to carry out the illegal gambling business. The operation involved the use of video poker machines at a private social club known as the “First Ward Republican Club” in South Philadelphia.
This conviction marks the latest in a series of cases against the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra Family. A total of 13 leaders, members, and associates of the family have pleaded guilty or been convicted by a jury as part of this case. To date, 12 defendants, including Esposito, have been sentenced, and one is awaiting sentencing.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations, the Pennsylvania State Police, the New Jersey State Police, the Philadelphia Police Department, U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration. The Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General also provided valuable prosecutorial assistance.
Esposito was convicted of conducting an illegal gambling business after a week-long trial in February 2014. He was found guilty of working with other mob members to carry out the operation on behalf of the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra Family.
The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney John S. Han of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank A. Labor III and Suzanne B. Ercole of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
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Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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